Chronicles of Crow
by LucidNightshade
Summary: Crow was betrayed as a child, and now as an Adult, he seeks to reclaim and avenge. Rated T for some explicit material. --WARNING-- Reader discretion advised
1. Prelude

This is a story I wrote a few years back, and now I am rewriting it to sound better to me.

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Constructive criticism appreciated but please do not completely diss me. Also ANY grammer or spelling errors that are not intentional feel free to point them out to me. Sometimes one pair of eyes just does not see every mistake ^_^. Enjoy the read (btw im slow to post due to the fact im completely starting from scratch pretty much and I'm picky with how I write... So please be patient thank you!)_

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Chronicles of Crow

Book one

Prelude

The sun peered over the horizon, quickly warming the ground and evaporating the overnight mist. Crow unsheathed his bow, ready to set his plan into motion. He rose from the hill on which he lay and began to descend slowly, stealthily.

He had set out three days prior, sporting only his bow, sword, and loose dark clothing. He needed to be quiet and quick, armor and extra equipment would only hinder him. He quickly traversed the city of Varrock in search of the clan that was rumoured to have information regarding his brother, Pheonix.

He quietly made his way through the crowd, pushing his way towards the boundaries of the Wild, which was the rumoured rally point for the clan Rising Demons. He passed the northernmost gate of Varrock and crept into the woods, keeping a wary eye for any suspicious movement or objects.

He reached the boundary of the Wild, a ditch dug seven feet deep and 6 feet across, with warning posts stationed every few feet. He climbed the nearest oak and waited for his targets to arrive.

Now, three days later, Crow was at the foot of the makeshift camp, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He strung an arrow and slowly pulled the bow into a firing position. He took aim at the nearest guard, who had dozed off on duty, a crime punishable by death.

Well, Crow thought, Better me than your boss that carries out your punishment. Just as he was about to let the arrow let fly, he heard movement behind him. He turned and let his arrow fly at the new threat, and it disintegrated in a flash of light. Crow ducked and rolled and a huge fireball seared the spot he had been standing not two seconds before. He dived again and again as the battle mage threw spell after spell towards him.

Get yourself together Crow! A mans voice filled Crow's mind. Focus on your enemy, move like the wind, and find the weakness. Crow froze as the mage cast a binding spell on him. The split second hesitation from Crow would cost him, and he knew it. He struggled against the vines binding him as his adversary unleashed a massive wave of fiery energy towards the hapless individual. Right as the wave of energy began washing over him, the vines holding him in place withered and Crow threw every ounce of strength he had to break free and dodged the incoming projectile. His hair set on fire, along with some of his clothing and the wave passed over him, right into the heart of the enemy camp. It made contact in a ground-shaking, thundering BOOM as it left a 12 foot crater where the guard had been sleeping at his post.

There goes the element of surprise, Crow thought, Time to really get to work. He jumped up and unsheathed his sword, a longsword made of the most rare metal availiable. The blade glowed red hot as Crow poured energy into his attack. The mage never stood a chance against the dragon longsword and stood with mouth agape as his body slowly slid to the ground, sliced cleanly in two. Crow wheeled towards the camp and recovered his bow and began letting arrows fly into the confused crowd of soldiers.

Six soldiers fell to his arrows, another two injured when they finally discerned his location. The motley crew of mercenaries drew swords and charged blindly towards Crow, bloodlust fueling their minds. Crow saw this and smiled, he knew soldiers who let themselves be overcome by rage would never win against one who kept his cool. Crow sidestepped and cut down the wave of soldiers and made his way towards the main tent, which housed his main target. He continued his onslaught and stopped in the middle of the camp.

A single arrow, whistling with glee as it cut through the blood-stained and singed air found its mark inside Crows arm. Crow quickly wheeled and saw the one responsible, a middle-aged man with a longbow. He already had another rune-tipped arrow loosely on the string when Crow pulled a knife from the strap on his leg and hurled it towards the assailant. The archer had just pulled the arrow taut when the knife embedded itself into his skull and he fell dead to the ground, arrow careening wildly off-course.

Crow turned toward his goal, a large tent emblazioned with the royalty emblem of the Rising Demons, and cautiously stood outside its entrance.

"Loki! Leader of the Rising Demons!" Crow shouted, "I offer you another chance at life! Come out quietly unarmed and I will discuss the terms of me letting you continue to draw breath!"

"I will never succomb to thy demands Crow! I know what you seek, and I am loyal to Pheonix!"

"Then you sentence yourself to be executed Loki."

Loki chuckled. "FOOL! You think you have me in your palms, well I assure you, you will never take me alive!" The sky was suddenly ablaze as meteors and fire rained down from the sky, destroying the area in which Crow was standing. The last thing Crow glimpsed was Loki safely teleporting away, right before a meteor caught Crow in the chest, knocking him unconcious...

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B_tw Yes this was meant to be Really short. It is supposed to be a teaser like most books do, However this is my first attempt at one and it isnt as strong as I would have hoped. _


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter 1**

The secret that unleashed the Fury

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Crow awoke screaming for the fifth time that week. His dreams of late were scary, nonetheless confusing for a child of 9 years. He buried his face in his trembling hands as his mother barged through the door, father close behind longsword at the ready. Upon entering the room, however, his father resumed his usual scowl at being woke for another nightmare.

"Aren't you a little old to be having these nightmares boy?" Heraldo, the boy's father, had a rough, deep voice. His current irritation made this voice even more so intimidating.

"Heraldo, Silence!" Crow's mother, Alma came to his defense, "You still have nightmares too you know."

"Yes, but I don't scream bloody murder causing everyone to panic."

"No, but you DO come snivelling into my arms like a harmless teddy bear hon." Heraldo said nothing more after that statement. He grunted and returned to bed, mumbling under his breath the entire way. Alma turned to Crow with the most sympathetic look a mother could ever give.

"Tell me, why do you have all these nightmares lately?"

Crow could not hope to know where to begin, because to him they felt so real... as if he were there. All of his nightmares have been the same, all about his brother Pheonix. Pheonix was a sweet, caring, and helpful young man, however his actions of late have caused some concern among the family. The council elders have noticed as well, thus causing Crow's family grief. To make matters worse, Crow's dreams seemed to have a warning, as if some unseen force was attempting to tell Crow that these visions were not just dreams. Somehow he had the feeling that these dreams are warning of an event to come, which frightens him even more. These dreams show him exploring an old gold cave just to the east of town, and upon entering the cave he notices directional markings that were made recently. He goes deeper into the cave and then in the darkness a figure, his brother Pheonix, came into focus, and then Crow's vision goes red and a gut wrenching pain washes over him, as if someone were twisting a double-edged blade inside his torso, all the while listening to his brother's hysterical cackling. It was so livid Crow believed it was Pheonix inflicting his pain, all the while thoroughly _enjoying _it, as if it were his brothers sole purpose to murder and destroy.

As Crow's mother looked pleadingly toward him, he gave her the same answer as the last time. He could not dare stress her more than she already is, and hearing this dream about his brother would rip her apart.

"It's ok mother, just another childish nightmare, go on back to bed." Alma looked disappointed, maybe even a little irritated, but she respected the wishes of her children and went back to her room. Crow exhaled slowly, contemplating this last dream. It was more descriptive this time, and the pain was worse, it seemed like it was trying to tell him that time was running out. As he tumbled the latter thought through his mind, he decided to follow his instincts. Something was wrong and he could no longer run away from it. He lay back down in his straw mat, setting his mind to one thing. The next morning he would investigate the cave.

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The sun rose, gently warming the tiny village of Krenah-tine, and Crow awoke abruptly, as if somebody threw him into a pond. He teased his curiousity and stumbled to Pheonix's room, to discover that he was already gone. Somewhat more tense now, he strode into the kitchen to greet his mother and was relieved to see Pheonix already scarfing down the morning scones. As soon as Crow pulled himself to his place at the table, his brother finished abruptly, and dashed out of the kitchen, yelling as he went.

"Got a lot of work to do mom! See you at dinner!" And with that he was gone. Crow could tell his mother disapproved and this made him nervous all over again.

_Where could he be in such a rush to? _Crow pondered this as he watched his mother, who was obviously wondering the same. His mother's worried expression made Crow's gut tingle, a feeling Crow only gets when something is about to go horribly wrong. He had had this feeling once before, right before his father came in beaten and scarred, stating that they had won the fight with the rebels, but had lost our leader in the process. With this in mind, Crow absentmindedly gulped his food down, thinking of what to bring with him in his journey to the abandoned gold mine.

After breakfast Crow scurried to his room and donned his pack and threw in some extra scones, a flask of water, and his dagger. The town forbade weapons except or the soldiers, but daggers were permitted to those venturing outside the towns borders. Crow went out the door, found his mother in the garden, and told her of his plans that day.

"Hello mother."

"Well good morning Crow, you have any more nightmares last night?"

"No, but I feel that to stop them altogether I need to leave town." At this remark her face became very grave.

"Crow, you know how I feel about you leaving town without your brother." Crow flinched ever so slightly at his brother's name, but nodded off his mother's inquisitive look. She sighed, "So where do you plan on going anyway?"

"Just to the old gold mine right outside town, my dreams keep bringing me there, so I figured I would go and face whatever it is I fear there." Alma seemed to relax at the mention of the mine

"That's alright then dear, your brother is supposed to be in that area today anyway." Crow grew even more tense at this, since now two parts of his dream were to be seen that day, in the same place. Crow shrugged it off and forced his frozen muscles to start the trek towards the cave. He passed most of the villagers, who seemed to have a sense of fear on their breath. This began to frighten Crow, as he never knew his countrymen to be afraid of anything. He trekked on, bringing himself to believe he was hallucinating and his fear would drive him insane soon. After about an hour he reached the gates and the border guard stepped out in front of him, face grim.

"Halt young Crow, I must warn you that the elders advise that nobody be outside of the town today."

"But sir, I must reach the mine just outside, I have had nightmares of late and seek to face my fear and eliminate the dreams." The seasoned guard let alarm show on his facial features for a millisecond, but it was enough for Crow to see. Something wasn't right, Crow knew Aldrick, and in his thirty years of service to this village, never once had Crow seen fear in this man's eyes. Every instinct and muscle screamed at Crow to return home and hide underneath his covers, however his curiosity and his determination eventually got the better of him and he continued his plea. "Please Aldrick, I promise to be 200% aware of my surroundings, and besides my brother is near the cave already anyway."

Aldrick may as well have been slapped in the face to explain the look he gave Crow just then.

"Alright... I guess if you must you can pass. But only if you are armed." Crow showed the guard his dagger, and Aldrick nodded. "Take my horn Crow, just in case you do find yourself biting off more than you can chew, I will come to your aid."

Crow took the mans horn, and then Aldrick stepped aside allowing him to pass into the forest. Crow walked to a clearing about 30 minutes away from the village, taking care not to breath too loudly or not to trample anything that might make sudden or loud noises. Once he reached the clearing, he took his flask and three scones out of his pack and nibbled on them, keeping a wary eye out for any signs of foreign movement or sounds. He sat there for a good hour before he heard a faint scream. It was an odd scream, very gruff and distant, and Crow could have sworn it sounded like goblin-speech, but there have not been goblins seen in 50 years in this part of the country. Crow tuned his ears towards the sound, but it was gone. He rose, having dawdled for too long, and resumed his journey towards the cave. Thirty minutes of walking and jogging had past and Crow heard no further sounds. He finally arrived at the cave a little after mid-day and stood frozen. He finally took a slow, deep breath and walked into the cave.

Crow began to recall his dreams to find his way, at the same time hoping he did not find what he was looking for. He had begun to hope his dreams were just that, dreams, when he stumbled across the marking pointing the way through the maze of caverns. He slowed his pace and cautiously followed the little etched arrows leading deeper into the cave. He spent well near an hour tracking those markings when he heard faint voices. At the end of this passageway was an opening into a large cavern. As Crow neared the opening the voices grew louder, but were still uninterpretable. He inch into the dank, wet cavern and followed the voices to an alcove that was lit by several torches. He peered around the corner, and upon discovering nobody inched forward. Another few feet Crow froze solid. A bloodcurdling screech echoed the chamber, exactly the same as he heard in the forest clearing. The voice that followed chilled Crow through to the bone. I was his brother, Pheonix.

"Now, for the last time Ulgag, WHERE is the holy relic?"

"I will never tell skinny, scrawny, human where relic is. That be property of Big High War God and youse humans can not touch it. Big High War God hate humanses. We spit on your kind and your machines. Chosen commander will come and then youse will be extinct! HAHAHAHA--glurg--gurgle-EEEEEEEEEEE!" The goblin's scream once again echoed through the cave and Crow covered his eyes and ears in fear.

"Not the answer I wanted Ulgag, so sorry that it will be the last decision you will ever make." Crow peered around the corner and watched as Pheonix held the goblin by the throat, and Ulgag began laughing.

"Good! Death just brings youse humanses one step closer to being cleaned and extinct! I go and be reborn as one stronger so I cans find you and rip you limb from limb pathetic human!" Pheonix's eyes glared and he retracted his arm from Ulgags throat, and in one quick motion, thrust his hand into the goblin's chest. Ulgag had no chance to scream as his heart exploded and a thin white mist poured out of his agape mouth and eyes. Crow stared in horror as Pheonix began to cackle exactly as he did in Crow's dreams. He turned and ran, and heard Pheonix call out after him.

"I know you were here! And you cannot run away from FATE!"


End file.
